Phoenix has made remarkable strides in improving its bicycling infrastructure, but the city's airport remains remarkably inaccessible via pedaling. There are two problems: The first is the lack of bike lanes on roads leading to the Airport and within Sky Harbor itself. The second is the lack of suitable long-term bike storage for travelers.

Fortunately, the recent conversion of the former SR153 freeway and the construction of the PHX Sky Train provide opportunities to address this need. There are a few possibilities:

-- Allow bikes on the Sky Train and build bike storage facilities at each terminal. These facilities wouldn't simply be racks for day use. Instead, they'd be individual bike lockers like those at Central Station.

-- Don't allow bikes on the Sky Train, but build a bike facility with storage and showers like Tempe's Bicycle Cellar at the Sky Train plaza across from the 44th St. / Washington light rail station. That structure looks enormous and there should be room for something there. A bike facility could even rent bikes to arriving travelers who wish to get around that way.

-- See my separate idea about adding bike lanes to the segment of 44th street between Washington and University.